Summertime Craziness

Is it too much to have 2 work email addresses, 2 personal email addresses, 3 blogs and a facebook account? It's time to simplify things for sure. While waiting for that to take place here are some things bouncing around in the brain.

1. When will Astana implode? After seeing Contador sprint to the K.O.M. line today against Armstrong I don't think it will take too long. Since they lost Leipheimer this morning I think the train is gaining speed towards the end of the line.

2. Since Hamilton already agreed to an 8 year ban, why does WADA feel it's necessary to kick a man while he is down? The guy has enough problems as it is and do they really think he is going to make a comeback at the ripe age of 46?

3. Nationals is going to be crazy and it's too bad I won't be there to scream my brains out at all the hot action. XC and Short Track will be incredibly tough, the Downhill Course looks ridiculous for the pros and the 4x course is unreal.

4. Cyclocross is on everyones minds and if it's not you don't know what you are missing. Hopefully the new bike is going to be built and painted by the middle of August so I can have plenty of time on it before Vegas Cross.

5. It's damn hot out so run for the high country.

Tour of Battenkill

"Team OUCH’s Floyd Landis, expected to take the start Sunday, did not make the trip to Cambridge, after suffering a laceration on his shin Wednesday. In a statement posted on the team’s Web site, team medical staff felt it would be better for Landis to stay in California to recover."

That better be one hell of a laceration or maybe he is coming down with Tyler's "Bronchitis".

In happier news, Tim Johnson gave em hell for a while at Battenkill. Nothing like sending the cross racer to the front to crack the whip on those pure roadies.

Hamilton Retires

It looks like Tyler has finally thrown the towel in on his racing career. Having been a fan of both Marco Pantani and Tyler Hamilton, I would hope that Tyler gets the help he needs before somebody finds him dead on a hotel room floor too.

Finishing 2nd at the Giro with a broken shoulder was pretty incredible. Then to top it off, the next year he ground down his teeth at the Tour because he had a broken collarbone from stage 1. I guess we will never know if he did it on his own or had a little help from the juice. I always hoped he did it on his own power.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/apr09/apr17news3

Oh yea, my damn links still won't work.

Spring/Winter Time

Well one day you are riding in shorts on dry dirt and the next you are thinking about busting the skis out. Spring time is always a good time. The past few weeks have been spent visiting family in Colorado, working, working and trying to get out and play when we can.

Since the riding has been sporadic, it's time to really kick things into gear and make a trip to Moab. Nothing like a White Rim day trip to move things to the next level. It will be a good way to judge the legs and see how they feel about the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde in May. Of course I will have to work a couple of days while I am down there so watch out for me cause I will hit you up to buy something.

Tour of California

Well the 2009 edition of the T.O.C. is off to one hell of a start. Rain, wind and enough wrecks to last the whole year have been a blast to watch on tv. The racing has been great, tons of big names on every team and the crowds have been out despite the weather. One question on my mind is where has this guy been or have I just completely missed him this year.


There has been some dorky version of the devil but that guy is no Didi Senft.
http://www.tourteufel.de/

I tell you what, Fox could give anyone a run for their money.

Big Maggy Retires

As one of my favorite riders Magnus Backstedt didn't need to work hard to stick out while riding in the peloton. Best of luck to the big man and his future endeavors. Now all my cheering will be for George Hincapie with the hopes that his luck will finally change at this years Roubaix. Check out the article on Velonews.
http://www.velonews.com/article/87355/

I really gotta figure out why my links don't connect.

Worlds

There was definetly some great cross racing this past weekend. The U.S. womens team really raced well and had the best overall finish as a group. Katie Compton took it to the field but Voss either raced a tactically good race or was just a wheel sucker to take the win depending on how you look at it. Gould, Lloyd and Butler all had stellar rides. All four were in the top 17.

It's great to see that the juniors and u23 guys have some incredible talent to build on. Geoff Proctor's Euro Cross Camp is really helping to get the young guns some great experience at the world cup level.

What can you say about the mens' race? How is it that Trebon gets hit by another rider at the Nationals last year and then gets hit by a camera boom this year at Worlds. Maybe he needs to "My Name is Earl" and figure out what's up with his karma.
Page had a rough go at it after his ordeal, Powers seemed to put in a good effort and Shriver and cross may really hit it off.

Only a few more races left and then we have to wait until September. Cross your fingers that Vegas Cross will become a World Cup Race.

Artic Cat Alley Cat

For all you fixed gear freaks and hipsters out there, this Saturday their is going to be an Alley Cat race here in Salt Lake. http://saltcycle.com
Of course I do not admit or deny that I have ever participated in an Alley Cat, broken any law or ever drank a cold PBR in public.

In other news, Fatty has a great article on the necessities of becoming a cyclist.
http://www.fatcyclist.com/
Be careful cause this article may cause you to shoot coffee out your nose and onto your computer screen.

No breaking news here but Page has been selected to the Worlds Team. No word yet if he is going to race or not. The U.S. ladies are really ramping things up and look to lay waste to the rest of the field.

This year seems to be the year of the comeback. Armstrong, Basso and Landis. Next months Tour of California should be a real go getter for sure. There will be plenty of old dopers, admitted dopers, accused but not admitting dopers and I am sure those who have thought about doping. No matter what it's going to be a big race with a lot of big names there. It has been announced that Versus will be having a nightly recap of the days race which is huge for the U.S. crowd.

In case you missed the news, the air here in the last couple of weeks has compeletely sucked. I quite riding to work because my throat hurt and I had a headache.



This picture is just the start and it got a lot worse.

Worlds Team Selection

One would assume at this point that Jonathan Page is still under "investigation" for missing a pee test. Velonews announced this morning what the final Men's roster will be for Worlds. It's a good that they are dragging this out as long as they can. Call me crazy but maybe they could have named the men's team in December like the other teams so that racers could properly prepare?

The U.S. team for the 2009 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships
Hoogerheide, Netherlands
January 31-February 1

Elite men
Ryan Trebon
Jeremy Powers
Brian Matter
Matt Shriver

Elite women
Katie Compton
Georgia Gould
Rachel Lloyd
Laura Van Gilder
Sue Butler

U23 men
Nick Weighall
Nicholas Keough
Daniel Summerhill
Bjorn Selander
Will Dugan

Junior men
Luke Keough
Zach McDonald
Gavin Mannion
Eric Emsky
Chris Wallace

I will consult the magic 8 ball one more time to come up with predictions.

Season Ender or Starter?

After spending the holidays in Colorado we got back in town just in time for a nice rain storm. Of course that turned to snow, making Wheeler Farm prime for one last cross race. The air was crisp, the course snow packed with concrete like braking bumps and everyone ready to have some fun. Of course everyone was there to have fun but there was still some racing to do. Things went well, I felt fast and I left with only one softball size bruise on my thigh. Hardpack snow and ice are not too forgiving for some reason.

The Nascar themed party was great and we supplied free beer. If this party would have been in Colorado the beer would have been gone in a matter of minutes. But being in the conservative place we live in, the beer lasted all night.

It's a shame cross season is over but it was great while it lasted. I will have to whip up some sort of season ending wrap up.

I stole this picture from somebody online but it is at a Utah Cyclocross race. We sat and watched the Mens' B group go over this log and it almost made you cry to see all those beautiful wheels get beat down. You can tell who is a mountain biker and who isn't pretty quickly. Remember if you are going down, do it in style.